Cricket is a sport that does not warrant the tag of being global, given the fact that it is played by a handful of nations, most of which were British colonies during medieval times. However, a lot of these countries have huge populations and due to the popularity of stars, cricket has managed to find fans in other sports as well. Running, which is possibly a sport every country in the world participates in, has some stars, who are big fans of cricket.
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Some of the most popular runners in the world, who have won the highest honours in Olympics and World Championships, have expressed their love for cricket over the years. In fact, a few of them have also played cricket, in exhibition matches and sometimes in competitive ones as well. Let’s take a look at the 5 running stars, who are big cricket aficionados:
#1 Yohan Blake – Sprinter, Jamaica
Often described as Usain Bolt's understudy, Yohan Blake is one of Jamaica’s most ever talented sprinters and a highly decorated athlete. Winner of two silver and two gold medals at the Olympics, Blake is perhaps the second best sprinter after Usain Bolt and the youngest ever winner of the World Championship in 100m. A lot of people do not that Blake takes his cricket pretty seriously and has often expressed his desire to play the sport professionally.
During an interview with Guardian in 2014, Blake said that cricket was his “first love” and he hopes to play for Yorkshire in the future. "I can bowl fast and hit the ball miles. The bowler I am most like is Jimmy Anderson. Somewhere around 26-27 I think I'll reach my peak in athletics, so somewhere around 29-30 I want to be playing cricket,” he was quoted as saying.
Not only this, Blake has said that he would love to play in the Indian Premier League, should he get the chance. His compatriot and friend Chris Gayle, the Royal Challengers Bangalore star batsman, is also reportedly helping Blake find a spot in India’s cricketing extravaganza.
#2 Alastair McCorquodale - Sprinter, Scotland
Scottlish sprinter Alastair McCorquodale and 1948 Olympic silver medalist (4x100m relay) was an exceptionally talented athlete, who represented Great Britain, along with being a superb cricketer. Born in Glasgow, McCorquodale represented the likes of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Free Foresters Cricket Club and Middlesex during the course of his cricketing career.
His association with cricket was pretty strong during his youth days but his excellence in athletics prevented him from pursuing it professionally. However, he started playing the sport again after his career in athletics ended. He played five first class matches, picking up four wickets and scoring 34 runs. McCorquodale passed away at the age of 83 in 2009.
#3 Usain Bolt – Sprinter, Jamaica
The greatest sprinter in history belongs to a country that loves cricket and produced a lot of stars over the years. Winner of eight Olympic gold medals, Usain Bolt has earned himself the reputation of being labelled as the “greatest of all time.” Although he is a professional sprinter, Bolt has a lot of love for cricket and football, something that the Jamaican expresses quite openly.
Not only has Bolt expressed his loved for cricket, he has played in exhibition matches on several occasions, one of them being in India. He played a match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore that was held between Team Yuvaj (captained by Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh) and Team Bolt.The sprinter scored a 19-ball 45 that included three sixes, bringing delight to the crowd.
#4 Colin Jackson – Sprinter and hurdler, Wales
One of Great Britain’s best ever athletes, Collin Jackson won a lot of plaudits over the years including an Olympic silver medal, World Championship gold medal and European Championship gold medals. Presently a sports commentator and broadcaster, Jackson could have easily been a cricketer in his career but chose to be an athlete instead. He used to represent his county in cricket.
In an interview with BBC in 2016, Jackson revealed why he chose athletics over cricket due to his laziness. “I could easily have been a cricketer as I used to play county. One day, there were both competitions during similar timings. While the cricket match was three hours away, the athletics competition was just five minutes away. I was lazy and decided to go for the athletics event,” he said in the interview.
#5 Akani Simbine – Sprinter, South Africa
If you are a non-Jamaican sprinter in the age of Usain Bolt, there is a good chance you might go unnoticed, despite being a big name in your country. Akani Simbine is one such sprinter who has done reasonably well in his sprinting career till now and is the fastest South African sprinter. He participated in the 100m finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and stood fifth in an event that involved some of the greatest sprinters of all time.
Besides sprinting, Simbine likes a lot of other sports and cricket is one of them. In an interview with City Press in 2016, Simbine spoke about himself in great detail and described how much he loved cricket and followed the sport with a lot of enthusiasm. It is not surprising that Simbine loves cricket, given the fact that the Proteas are one of the best sides in world cricket at the moment and have consistently done well over the years.
